On the Books: Amazon launches Kindle First feature

More Amazon news: The company launched program called Kindle First today, offering users access to Kindle books a month before their official release. Editors select the titles that will be available in advance along with a note of recommendation. [Amazon]

Thriller writer Michael Palmer died Wednesday at age 71, according to a statement released by his publisher, St. Martin’s Press. Palmer’s son Daniel wrote a tribute on Facebook, noting that the author “kept it informal and real” and “LOVED (LOVED 10x) his readers so very much.”

Tony Kushner gave a speech at the Whiting Writers’ Awards last week, exploring what writing and exposure as a writer brings to him. [The New Yorker]

In other news, a Texas man has been arrested for failing to return an overdue study guide to a local library. [KWTX]